College football moves on to week six of its regular season. Last week, conference play officially began, giving us a glimpse into who the contenders for the College Football Playoffs might be. This week, this picture became murky.
Why? All will be explained.
Florida Men Upset Texas
The number nine-ranked Texas Longhorns return to action this week, needing a win to kick-start their SEC campaign after three weeks of playing weaker opposition following their defeat to Ohio State. Their opponents were the Florida Gators, a team that has struggled for the past few years under Billy Napier, and it appears this season will be another challenge for them. Could Texas get what should be an easy win?
The Gators had the first possession of the game and would score the first points from it. They were lucky to have the ball in the first place, as they fumbled it on the first play of the game, only for it to be recovered by the team. After this setback, DJ Lagway was able to move his offense down to the Longhorns’ five-yard line before Jadan Baugh found the endzone for the touchdown. In response to this score, Texas struggled to move the ball far and handed possession back to the Gators.
Florida would add to their lead on their next drive, when kicker Trey Smack found the uprights for a 34-yard field goal to give it a surprising 10 lead.
Soon after, the Gators would make a major error. Lagwoy would find Hayden Hansen for a 20-yard pass. But, Hansen would then fumble the ball, and this time the Longhorns’ defense would be able to claim possession. From this, Arch Manning quickly moved his offense down to the Gators’ six-yard line before finding Quintrevion Wisner for the touchdown pass to bring them back into the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis hope that Texas would be able to stage some form of comeback did not last long, as on the next drive, Lagway found Dallas Wilson for a 13-yard touchdown pass, again extending the Gators’ lead. This would be made larger when a Longhorn’s punt was blocked, and the ball went into their endzone for a safety.
This meant that at halftime, the Gators had a surprise 19-7 lead over the Longhorns.
The second half did not begin well for either team, with the first three drives ending in punts. Then, on the fourth drive of the half, Florida was able to further extend their advantage over Texas with a 38-yard field goal from Smack.
The Longhorns would again bring themselves back into this game on the following drive, thanks to a 38-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Ryan Wingo. But the Gators immediately responded to this with a touchdown of their own. Lagway found Wilson for a 55-yard touchdown pass to again make it a 15-point game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen, the Longhorns seem to implode. Manning threw two consecutive interceptions (Lagway would throw one immediately after, but the Longhorns’ offense did nothing on the following drive) and struggled to get anything going. They would find the endzone near the end of the game, Wisner scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown, but it was not enough.
The Florida Gators had defeated the number nine-ranked Texas Longhorns 29-21.
This was an upset win. No one expected the Gators, who have not been the best team so far this season, to win in such a dominant fashion. As for the Longhorns, this was an inferior performance, and one that could take them out of playoff contention. The win means that Florida improves to 2-3 (1-1 SEC), while the Longhorns fall to 3-2 (0-1 SEC)
Next week, the Gators face Texas A&M, while the Longhorns face rival Oklahoma in the Red River game. A better performance will be expected there.
The Biggest Upset of the Season?
The number seven-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions came into this season as one of the contenders for the national championship. Last week, these aspirations experienced a minor setback when the Oregon Ducks beat them in double overtime, but they are still in contention for the playoffs. This week, they faced the winless UCLA Bruins, who have yet to lead a game, with former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava struggling. This game should have been over before it began… shouldn’t it?
The Bruins had the first possession of the game and were able to find the endzone from it. Iamaleava brought the offense down to the Nittany Lions’ 11-yard line before he found Kwazi Gilmer for the touchdown pass. This lead would be extended on their next drive, when Mateen Bhaghani found the uprights for a 24-yard field goal.
The Nittany Lions would respond to these scores by finding the endzone themselves. Running back Kaytron Allen scored a 13-yard rushing touchdown to bring them back into the game. But, this did not last long, as on the next drive, Iamaleava found Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a six-yard touchdown pass. This lead would be further extended on their next drive, with Iamaleava finding the endzone for a three-yard rushing touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesUCLA’s lead would become even larger just before halftime through a 54-yard field goal. This meant that at halftime, the Bruins had a very shocking 27-7 lead over Penn State.
The Nittany Lions did not start the second half on the best foot, with quarterback Drew Allar fumbling the ball and losing possession to the Bruins. UCLA would attempt a field goal on the following drive, which it would miss.
Penn State would recover from its prior mistake and find the endzone when Allar found Khail Dinkins from 40 yards out. On the next drive, the Nittany Lions would definitely bring themselves back into the game. The Bruins would be forced to punt, but this punt was blocked and then returned to the endzone for a touchdown, making it a one-possession game.
However, this did not last long, as Iamaleava found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown on the next drive, restoring their two-possession lead as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions would open the fourth quarter strong, with Allen finding the endzone from two yards out. This would be matched by Iamaleava, who found it from seven yards out, and would then successfully attempt a two-point conversion.
Embed from Getty ImagesPenn State would again find the endzone on the following drive after Allar found Kyron Hudson for a 15-yard touchdown pass. However, this would not be enough, and the late safety would not help them.
In the end, we had another massive upset, as the UCLA Bruins defeated the number seven-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions 42-37.
This was the performance that UCLA fans wanted to see but did not expect. Iamaleava scored five touchdowns in this win, and this may be a sign that he is returning to his prior self. As for Penn State, this marks their second consecutive loss, and questions should now be raised about whether they will be contenders for the playoffs. The Bruins improve to 1-4 (1-1 Big Ten), while the Nittany Lions fall to 3-2 (0-2 Big Ten) for the season.
Next week, UCLA faces Michigan State, while the Nittany Lions play Northwestern.
What Happened to the other Ranked Teams?
Minnesota @ #1 Ohio State
The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continued their undefeated start to the season with a dominant performance against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. A three-touchdown game from quarterback Julian Sayin, paired with an almost non-existent Minnesota offense, led to the Buckeyes easily winning this game 42-3.
#3 Miami @ #18 Florida State
The number three-ranked Miami Hurricanes will likely become the number two seed next week, as they were able to defeat the number 18-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles came into the fourth quarter 28-3 down, but a rally for Tommy Castellanos put them back into the game. It was not enough, as the Hurricanes held on for a 28-22 win to keep their undefeated start to the season alive.
Kent State @ #5 Oklahoma
In preparation for the Red River Rivalry game next week, the number five-ranked Oklahoma Sooners had a very easy game against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Sooners’ backup quarterback, Michael Hawkins Jr, threw for three touchdowns in their 44-0 win that will not truly help them prepare for a struggling Texas side next week.
Mississippi State @ #6 Texas A&M
The number six-ranked Texas A&M Aggies kept their strong start alive with an easy win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed threw for two touchdowns in their 31-9 win.
#16 Vanderbilt @ #10 Alabama
Last year, when the number 10-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide met the number 16-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, a massive upset occurred. This year, both teams have been evenly matched throughout the first five weeks. Alabama would be able to get its revenge impressively. Quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson Tides’ 30-14 win.
Embed from Getty Images#11 Texas Tech @ Houston
The number 11-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders kept their good start in the Big 12 alive with a dominant victory over the Houston Cougars. A strong performance from Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton, throwing for 345 yards, gave Texas Tech a 35-11 win, ending the Cougars’ undefeated start to the season.
Kentucky @ #12 Georgia
After their defeat to Alabama last week, the number 12-ranked Georgia Bulldogs faced the Kentucky Wildcats with the hopes of a bounce-back win. That is exactly what they got, with the Bulldogs beating the Wildcats 35-14.
#14 Iowa State @ Cincinnati
The 14th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones came into their game against the Cincinnati Bearcats undefeated. They would leave Cincinnati as the beaten side. The Bearcats took a large lead in the first quarter and never looked back, recording a 38-30 win over the Cyclones.
Embed from Getty ImagesWisconsin @ #20 Michigan
The number 20-ranked Michigan Wolverines faced the Wisconsin Badgers this week in what would be another good performance in the very young career of Bryce Underwood. He would throw for 270 yards and one touchdown in the Wolverines’ 24-10 win over Wisconsin.
Boise State @ #21 Notre Dame
The number 21-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish keep their recovery streak going when they face the Boise State Broncos. In a standard performance for the Fighting Irish, they outperformed the Broncos and recorded a 28-7 win.
#22 Illinois @ Purdue
This season, the number 22-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini has established itself as a high-scoring team, except for that week when the Indiana Hooisers gave them a taste of their own medicine. This week, they faced the Purdue Boilermakers in another high-scoring game. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 390 yards in their 43-27 win over the Boilermakers.
West Virginia @ #23 BYU
The number 23-ranked BYU Cougars continued their strong start to the 2025 season with a win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for a career high 351 yards with one touchdown in their 38-24 win to keep their undefeated season alive.
Embed from Getty Images#24 Virginia @ Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals came into their game with the number 24-ranked Virginia Cavaliers unranked but undefeated. This was a very close affair, with a late field goal from Cooper Ranvier keeping the Cardinals’ undefeated season alive, but sending the game to overtime. In this period, Cavaliers running back J’Mari Taylor found the endzone to secure a 30-27 win.
So, that was Week six of the 2025 College Football season. Next week, the slate of games is highlighted by the Red River Rivalry game between Oklahoma and Texas, alongside the Oregon Ducks facing the Indiana Hoosiers.
